Blood Clots Are Common: Know Your DVT Risk

Every year, as many as 600,000 Americans are affected by deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), life-threatening conditions caused by deep blood clots. About 100,000 people die each year as a result of DVT and PE.

While there’s no way to completely prevent DVT or its complications, there are ways to significantly reduce your risk of developing DVT and PE. But before you plan a prevention strategy, you need to know your risk factors so you can take appropriate steps based on your specific needs.

At Florida Heart, Vein, and Vascular Institute, we’re a leading provider of DVT treatment and preventive interventions, helping our patients reduce their DVT risks and enjoy better vascular health. 

In this post, our team offers an overview of blood clots and their role in DVT, along with a list of risk factors you should know.

Blood clots: The basics

Blood clots can play a key role in your body’s natural healing response, helping stop the flow of blood following an injury. But other clots can damage your health, including clots that form in deep veins, typically the veins in your legs or pelvis, although they can form in your arms, too. 

These clots form when normal blood flow is interrupted — slowed or completely blocked. Without prompt treatment, these clots can cause a serious and life-threatening condition called deep vein thrombosis.

In their early stages, clots rarely cause symptoms. But as a clot grows and blood flow is significantly impaired, you can have symptoms like: 

• Swelling 
• Pain or cramping
• Tenderness or warmth in a localized area of the leg
• Skin discoloration

If the clot breaks away, it can travel to your lungs causing a pulmonary embolism, a deadly DVT complication.

About half of all people who have DVT don’t have any symptoms, which is why it’s so important to understand your risk factors for this potentially life-threatening condition.

Understanding your risk for DVT

Anyone can develop DVT blood clots, but they’re most often associated with specific risk factors. Knowing what those risk factors are helps you take steps to reduce those risks and improve your vascular health.

Many deep clots form as a result of prolonged immobility, like bed rest due to illness or surgery or even taking long flights or drives with no breaks. Immobility slows blood flow, making it easier for clots to form.

Other risk factors include:

• Older age
• Personal or family history of clots
• Heart failure
• Obesity
• Hormone therapy or contraceptives using estrogen
• Vessel damage due to surgery, inflammation, injury, or infection
• Pregnancy
• Some types of cancer or cancer treatments
• Blood-clotting disorders

Lifestyle factors, like smoking and dehydration, can also play a role. Less commonly, clots form in the absence of risk factors, a condition called unprovoked venous thromboembolism.

Prevention begins with awareness

Once you understand your risk of DVT, you can begin taking steps to prevent clots and their complications. The good news: These steps help improve your health in lots of other ways, too.

Begin by quitting smoking. Tobacco products contain chemicals that damage your vessels, causing inflammation that in turn increases your risk of damaging clots. 

Because immobility plays a big role in DVT, incorporate daily exercise into your routine. If you’re sitting for long periods, like during a long flight, get up and move around every hour.

Staying hydrated helps, too, by maintaining optimal density of your blood so it moves more freely. Finally, if you’re recovering from surgery or have other risk factors, ask us about wearing compression socks to promote blood flow in your feet and lower legs.

Get screened for DVT

One of the best ways to lower your risk of DVT, PE, and other vascular problems is to schedule an evaluation and screening. Our team can review your medical history and recommend imaging tests or other methods to help you make changes to protect your veins and your overall cardiovascular health.

To schedule your evaluation, book an appointment online or over the phone with our team at Florida Heart, Vein, and Vascular Institute in Zephyrhills, Lakeland, Plant City, or Riverview, Florida, today.